BUTUAN CITY, Agusan del Norte, Philippines —
The Philippine Benevolent Missionary Association (PBMA) said the suspect in the killing of Cebu lawyer Arbet Sta. Ana Yongco is not a member of the group.
“The allegations are pure speculations,” Elvis de la Merced, secretary general of Dinagat Island-based PBMA, said.
Speaking over mobile phone from Surigao City, De la Merced said efforts to link Favilla to their group were unfounded and malicious.
“We have no member named Michael Favilla, and the group PBMA Commando Brotherhood is non-existent,” he said.
Favilla, an alleged member of the PBMA Commando Brotherhood, was identified as the killer of Yongco.